The Day Is Bright
by PrincesseAurora
Summary: Guess what? I've UPDATED! I have written a new chapter! This is my first fic, so plz r&r with constructive comments. Set just after the epilogue of 'Abhorsen'.
1. The Day Is Bright

Hello, hello. This is my first fic. I wrote it coz I was trying to find a short little fic 'bout just after the end of Abhorsen. But I was having trouble, so I wrote one! Hope it's not to bad, but I'd love some constructive criticism. So here it is:

**Disclaimer:** Yes, I'm Australian. Yes, I write. But no, I am not Garth Nix. Therefore, I do not own anything except the plot. I mean, come on, would Mr. Nix _really_ go around posting fics about his _own_ story under a name such as _Princesse Aurora_? That's just ridiculous…

**The Day Is Bright**

By PrincesseAurora

"Nick!" Sam yelled happily, hardly believing what he saw. And with good reason. For Nick was dead, both he and Lirael had felt him slip away. But there he was, standing and waving, a Charter Mark shining brightly on his forehead.

Lirael turned slowly, in shock. She had only just begun to grieve his death, having had no time to do so before then.

"Nick?" she whispered, unable to identify the feelings coursing through her. Sabriel, upon whom she was leaning, heard her whisper, heard the feelings, heard what that one word meant, heard and understood. She had heard that in her own voice, heard that in the voice of the one she loved. She saw the expression on her sister's face as she tried to understand. Tried to understand how Nick lived, then tried to understand why she didn't care, so long as he _did_. Sabriel watched as Lirael stopped trying to understand and simply ran to where Sam and Nick were smiling, laughing, hugging. Lirael hesitated, unsure again. Sam looked at her and Nick turned to her. She bowed her head, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do. Nick came to stand in front of her, suddenly no longer weak, no longer in pain. He could see the hurt the Dog had told him of. The physical, mental, and emotional pain was evident in her body language. He wondered if he had caused any of that pain, then saw a single tear fall from her face and splash onto the ground. The new-born sun played on the thousands of particles the one droplet split into, casting little rainbows around. His question was answered. He took another step towards her, so they were only centimetres apart. Sam was completely bewildered and went to speak, but his mother beckoned to him and they rest of the party continued walking. Now they were alone.

"Lirael," Nick said quietly. She brought her head up slowly to look in his eyes. He then put his arms around her and she collapsed into him, pressing herself against his thin body.

"Oh, Nick," she sobbed and buried her face into his chest. She wept for losing him, she wept for finding him. He stroked her hair as she cried for him. Eventually she calmed and relaxed against him, feeling strangely comfortable.

"I thought I'd lost you," Lirael whispered hoarsely. She bowed her head again.

"But now I've found you again," said Nick, and kissed the top of her head. "And I will never let you go."

"I love you, Nicholas Sayre." she said into his chest. He took his hand and cupped her chin. He titled her face upwards.

"I love you, Lirael." he whispered and bought his lips to hers.

The day was bright, and Life was good.


	2. And I Dream of You

I actually had people (yes, more than one! Whoa… Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! You have my undying love, by the way.) tell me that they wanted more of this story, so, as I am on holidays and need a break from my Quenya course and my Chemistry assignment, I decided to acquiesce to their requests. I don't know how good this will be, as it has no predetermined plot, if it will ever be finished, or how regularly I will update, but I will do the best I can to bring you a nice, long, sufficiently (but not _too_) angsty, romantic fic, with that ever important dash of action/adventure. Perhaps even humour … if I can manage it…

Btw, chapters may be short, but if they are, they will be reasonably frequent. If I'm not going to post for a while, I'll try to put up a nice, long chapter so that you can last.

**Disclaimer: **It's not mine. Not even remotely. There, now you can't sue me! Ha!

**The Day Is Bright Chapter Two:**

**And I Dream of You**

By PrincesseAurora

He lay at her feet, spread-eagled, eyes open and glassy, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. He was dead. Yet she did not weep. She saw this every night, even months after she had found him again. Every night, without fail, Lirael dreamt of the Binding, of Nick's death. She no longer wept, for even her dream self knew that soon he would awake and take her in his arms. She looked at him again. Suddenly, something felt wrong. She looked down and saw her golden hand, the sunlight glinting off it. She shook her head and closed her eyes. That wasn't right. She opened her eyes again and looked into Nick's lifeless eyes. But he was not the thin, sick boy he was when Orannis was bound anew. Nor did she have her golden hand. Nor was there bright, clear sunlight. She shook her head again and looked back at Nick, not the Nick of her usual dreams, but the Nick of today. The Charter Mark on Nick's forehead was grey and dull. She realised this was not her usual dream, though it felt as real as life, just as her usual one's did. She heard a soft, unpleasant laughter, and the hair on the back of her neck rose.

_You thought you had won, little girl? You thought all was safe? You were wrong._ There came a fell voice, echoing around her, sending a chill down her spine.

_He is everything to you. And for that, he dies. You are the death of him, Lirael. You stand as the voice of Astarael, the Sorrowful, and so you shall always have sorrow in your life, you shall always weep._

"Who are you?" she yelled, turning a full circle, but seeing none. "How do you know me?"

_I know all, voice of Astarael. You did not think that the Nine are the ultimate powers in the Universe? Who gave _them_ the power? We did, of course._

"We?" Lirael whispered. Those greater than the Nine themselves must be powerful indeed.

_Yes, my brother, my sister, and I. The meddler she is, always convincing my brother to create new things when I destroy the old. Always nurturing things, keeping them out of my grasp. Helping all of you to bind my faithful servant again. But my brother's taken his eye off you and your beloved, and she can not hold me off alone. I will have my revenge, little one, first by taking back all that my sister has given you. Starting with him._

Lirael knew in her heart that the voice was speaking the truth. She looked back down at her love, and knew that she had caused his death. She flung herself on his still-warm body and let out a heart-wrenching wail of anguish.


End file.
